14 minute read
INDUSTRY UPDATES
from FC&A May 2020
N E W S IN BRIEF:
NEW YORKSHIRE OFFICE FOR EXPANDING ARCHITECT FIRM
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Architect firm Nicholson Nairn has opened a new Yorkshire office in a move to meet growth and demand for locally-based design and architectural services and expertise. The office in Otley is the latest phase of planned strategic growth by the architecture practice that will see its presence grow across Yorkshire and the wider region in the next few years. Led by Associate Gary Wilson, who brings extensive experience in delivering large-scale commercial and residential schemes, the new accommodation in a refurbished mill at Wharfebank Mills will offer options to more than double workspace as expansion continues in future. Nicholson Nairn, which is already involved in millions of pounds worth of residential and commercial property schemes, driving growth for the existing team of specialists, expects to recruit for additional roles in the next 12 months.
SIR ROBERT MCALPINE HELPS CONSTRUCT JERSEY NIGHTINGALE HOSPITAL
Sir Robert McAlpine is helping to deliver a temporary Nightingale hospital as part of Jersey’s response to COVID-19. The Jersey Nightingale Hospital will create an additional 180 beds for coronavirus patients, who will be provided with acute, enhanced and ongoing levels of medical care, including oxygen provision but not invasive ventilation. Sir Robert McAlpine is working on the project alongside its J3 joint venture partners Garenne and FES. The hospital is under construction on Millbrook Playing Field and will be operational in the first week of May, less than a month after the decision was taken to build it. The Jersey Nightingale Hospital will provide the extra in-patient care capacity expected to be required on the island as the number of islanders needing medical support in hospital increases.
INDUSTRY UPDATES FC&A ROUNDS UP THE LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS AND UPDATES.
FOSTER + PARTNERS SHARES THE PROTOTYPE DESIGN FOR A REUSABLE FACE VISOR
To aid the fight against COVID-19, Foster + Partners has designed a general-purpose prototype face visor, suitable for cleaning and reuse. It is specifically aimed at fast mass production.
WWW.FOSTERANDPARTNERS.COM
Foster + Partners is sharing the design templates and material specifications as an open-source design asset. This is to encourage both designers and, in particular, large-scale manufacturers to investigate the potential of digital and laser-cutting machines as an alternative to 3D printing technology.
The prototype visor, designed by a team of industrial designers, model makers, architects and analysts, is made from three components: a visor made from 0.5mm optically clear PETG, an interlocking soft PP headband and a surgical silicone rubber head strap that ties the two together. These are all cut on the practice’s digital flatbed cutter. Each visor can be cut from sheets in under 30 seconds, and the elements can be assembled in under a minute. With the firm’s single cutting machine, Foster + Partners was able to cut and assemble components for 1000 visor masks in a day,
PERSONNEL The latest appointments from the construction and architectural industries
BAKERHICKS STRENGTHENS TEAM
BakerHicks has further strengthened its ground engineering capability with the appointment of Paul Hooton as Associate Engineer to lead the expansion of its dedicated ground engineering team. A Chartered Civil Engineer and Registered Ground Engineering Advisor, Paul brings extensive geotechnical experience and knowledge, having worked on numerous high-profile projects, including Manchester Metrolink airport line extension, Congleton Link Road and the East Coast Mainline power supply upgrade His skills have been deployed across multiple sectors, including rail, highways, utilities, commercial and local Government projects.
WWW.BAKERHICKS.COM
LEEDS-BASED FIRM BREWSTER BYE EXPANDS TEAM
Brewster Bye Architects has appointed three architectural assistants as part of its future talent development programme. Rebecca Hazzard joins as a RIBA Part 2 Architectural Assistant and Andrew Stanway and Ben Crayton as RIBA Part 1 Architectural Assistants. All three will work with the firm’s established teams on projects in the residential and commercial property sectors. Chris Austin, MD at Brewster Bye Architects, said: “Our latest talented trio are a welcome addition to our ever-expanding and experienced team.”
WWW.BREWSTERBYE.CO.UK
CPMG ARCHITECTS BOOSTS TEAM
Following an exciting period of growth, CPMG Architects has announced two senior promotions within its head office team. Ruth Evans has been promoted to Associate and will head up and nurture a team of designers on the delivery of high-spec interior design schemes. Another long-serving member of the team, Jason Evans, has been promoted to Associate after initially joining the team in 2000, following his studies at the University of Derby. He has built up vast amounts of experience within CPMG, leading the delivery of work across the education, commercial, residential and transport sectors.
WWW.CPMG-ARCHITECTS.COM
representing a reduction of days in the time taken to produce 3D-printed alternatives.
The visors can be produced and assembled or flat-packed and distributed in large quantities in a short span of time. An important advantage is that the visor can be easily disassembled, cleaned, sanitised and reused, addressing the growing shortage of raw materials for visor production. Foster + Partners is now delivering these prototype visors to a number of London hospitals where they are being tested. The firm is also exploring means of getting the design approved for mass production and use by health workers.
Image: ©Foster + Partners
REUSABLE FACE VISOR
SMALL VISOR HEADBAND LARGE VISOR
N E W S IN BRIEF:
DMA WINS WEMBLEY HOTEL EXTENSION CONSENT
Dexter Moren Associates (DMA) has hit the back of the net with consent for 18 additional rooms at the popular Best Western Plus Hotel, close by the landmark Wembley Stadium. In two successful simultaneous planning applications, DMA has redesigned the sub-basement car parking and added extensions to the rear of the existing hotel to increase the number of lettable rooms to 210. DMA has sensitively designed the additional volumes to avoid overpowering the hotel’s neighbours, allowing the extremely busy hotel to cater for more guests.
NHBC LAUNCHES FREE VIRTUAL TRAINING FOR HOUSE-BUILDING INDUSTRY
NHBC, the leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes in the UK, has launched a series of free virtual training webinars to help support the sector during the COVID-19 outbreak. NHBC’s specialist training team will host webinars each day to help homebuilders and their supply chain keep up-to-date on a wide range of topics such as NHBC Standards, Building Regulations, Onsite good practice and Health and Safety requirements. Commenting on the new scheme, NHBC’s Head of Training and Analysis, Darryl Stewart, said: “During these uncertain times, we are pleased to be able to support the industry with a suite of virtual training, helping the sector make good use of their time whilst broadening individual skill sets. The daily webinars will be free to all NHBC customers and their supply chain. With content covering a wide spectrum of topics, we hope we have a little something for everyone.”
Anna Broadbent, Senior Architect at Saunders Boston Architects, trained at Kingston School of Art, the Royal College of Art and the University of Cambridge. Prior to qualifying, she worked at de Metz Forbes Knight and Carl Turner Architects. In 2008, she started her own company, focusing on high-end renovations and extensions for homes in London and conservation projects in the Home Counties. With a desire to work on larger-scale residential, mixed-use and more socially conscious regeneration projects, she joined Saunders Boston Architects in 2016.
SAUNDERS BOSTON ARCHITECTS
ANNA BROADBENT
Mews house
Had you always wanted to pursue a career in architecture? I was an all-rounder at school with an equal passion for the arts, humanities, music and sciences; I was always designing things as a child and was naturally very creative. I had an acute sensitivity and interest in how the built environment can have an impact on the way we feel. Following a visit to the Pantheon in Rome, Le Corbusier’s Ronchamp Chapel and Chartres Cathedral as a teenager, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in architecture.
What has been your greatest influence and source of inspiration? The beauty of nature and old European cities never cease to inspire me. As well as the world around us, the architects that have most influenced me and my work are Peter Zumthor, Glenn Murcutt, Carlo Scarpa, Alva Aalto and Frank Lloyd Wright, to name a few. I also like to draw inspiration from sculptors and artists such as James Turrell and Olafur Eliasson, who investigate the materiality of light as a medium of perception and explore the sensory experience of space, materials and time.
What has been your most notable project to date? For me, notable projects are ones that aim to regenerate the local area creating a sense of community and that provide a sustainable design. As such, the projects that I’ve worked on and that I’m the most proud of are the designs for 10 eco houses in the Scottish Highlands; a high-end renovation and extension to a mews house in Kensington which adopted air source heat pumps, a mechanical ventilation heat recovery system, a water filtration system and smart temperature sensors and controls, creating an energy-efficient and intelligent urban dwelling; and a 100% affordable housing scheme in Willingham, Cambridgeshire. within the context, but most importantly how it will benefit and add value to the client, users and wider community.
I am always mindful of our client’s brief and budget, but like to explore ways in which we can push projects to exceed expectations and create elements of surprise and delight within the limitations set. I like to investigate the varying possibilities of materials at the early design stages with consideration of the patina, texture, proportion, light and scale of the project creating the design aesthetic. Creating buildings is a very collaborative process; I find constant discourse and good communication with all members is key throughout all design stages.
How do you approach your projects? When approaching new projects, I always start with the brief and an analysis of the site. I like to sketch ideas out on paper and use the process of drawing to think through the possibilities and constraints of the project. At the start of any project, I undertake a lot of research and like to consider the materials, quality of light, orientation and how the proposal will be experienced
What do you think is the greatest challenge for designing in sustainability? The climate emergency is now acknowledged, and there is widespread support for an acceleration of the transition to net-zero-carbon by 2030. Knowledge and skills of how to design and deliver net-zerocarbon buildings are required; for both in operational energy and for emissions from the construction process.
Essential information on materials and products is sparse, and there needs to be a better understanding and analysis of how we use buildings, and how we can create buildings that last for centuries, not decades. It is understood that to attain a net-zero-carbon building, it currently costs more than standard construction; therefore, there is often no commercial incentive for our clients. Due to this, it is a necessity to integrate sustainable design features at early development stages and demonstrate the long-term financial gains to ensure that the building remains sustainable throughout its lifetime – this will also help highlight its worth to the client.
As architects, we have a responsibility to ensure that sustainability is not seen as just a passing trend and that also social, health and wellbeing factors are considered just as much within our work. It’s important to balance sustainability, function and aesthetics in projects, and need to take a more holistic approach between design, materials and building systems.
What is your favourite building and why? Peter Zumthor’s Therme Vals in Switzerland; a truly sensory experience of hot and cold, water, light, shadows, reflection, texture, raw materials and breath-taking views that connect you with the surrounding landscape. I love Zumthor’s work because he does not have a specific style or repetitive choice of material – his buildings are always heavily rooted in the context, the history of the place and the phenomenological experience. He states that his goal is to “create emotional space”, which I think creates masterful architecture that has the power to uplift and move you.
What do you think is the greatest challenge for architects today? Addressing the challenges of climate change and ensuring projects retain a strong ethical position that gives meaning by engaging to the world around us to avoid empty aesthetic rhetoric. I believe architecture needs to achieve a balance between innovation, function, beauty, quality, social and ecological sustainability and a cultural, historical connection to its place, together with the commercial realities of client requirements. We also need to ensure that our work serves not just our clients, stakeholders and users but the wider community. As architects, we have the power to tackle health and wellbeing, loneliness and we need to ensure that our designs are inclusive and adapt to the various and changing needs of the elderly, young and physically impaired.
What can we expect to see from Saunders Boston Architects over the next year? This is an important year for Saunders Boston Architects, as we have celebrated not only the practice’s centenary, but also its 50th year in Cambridge. With a workforce of now approximately 60-strong, the future holds a period of growth for the company. In my recent reappointment as Head of Sustainability, we hope to take some pioneering strides
New library project
Station Road, Willingham
in sustainability, and become a leading example of how architecture can shape the future by delivering high-quality and innovative designs that reduce carbon footprints and improve the lifetime energy efficiency of projects.
INDUSTRIAL APPEAL WITH A BRIGHT EXTERIOR
Powdertech Evolution finish has been used to bring a stunning industrial, yet bright aspect to The Mayson, a new boutique hotel in Dublin’s regenerated Docklands.
POWDERTECH CORBY
The building combines two protected buildings on the city’s North Wall Quay – a traditional dockers’ pub and a 19th-century timber warehouse. A critical aspect of the design was to restore and knit the two buildings together in a way that preserved their industrial legacy.
The hotel is a landmark feature in the Dockland area, sitting on North Wall Quay overlooking the River Liffey, a testing marine environment for architectural metalwork, making their protection paramount. A Corten-like finish had been suggested for the exterior metal fins, to look like rusted steel.
Powdertech Evolution finishes all conform to ISO 12206 and Qualicoat performance specifications and emulate metal patination without the complications of rusty water run-off or staining of surrounding materials. The client chose one of the brightest finishes – ‘Sahara’. This dynamic finish gives the impression of a changing appearance depending on the light, and shines in full sunlight, complementing the red brick of the former dockers’ pub. Powdertech coated 2100 linear metres of box-section aluminium to form 150 vertical fins of 14m in length extending on the upper storey of the building. A marine-grade epoxy-polyester primer was applied after a high etch-rate pre-treatment and before the ‘Sahara’ coating in order to ensure excellent protection. The building retains its heritage and brings a distinctly warming glow to the entire area, even on a dull day.
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INSPIRING FACADE CLADDING
A FACADE WITH AN EYE-CATCHING CLOUD AND SKY MOTIF MADE FROM PERFORATED SHEETS
When designing their new headquarters, the Sun-Air Aviation Group wanted an innovative building constructed from sustainable materials. Using RMIG ImagePerf, the facade depicts a cloud formation – a very appropriate motif for an airline of ce which also happens to be located on Cumulusroad. The perforated sheets manufactured and supplied by RMIG, provide shade during the summer and diffuse glare-free light during the winter months.
If you are interested in booking a CPD presentation or require further information, please contact wgw@rmig.com
RMIG Ltd | 1-7 Adlington Court | Risley Road | Birchwood Warrington | WA3 6PL Cheshire | Tel: + 44 1925 839610 | cityemotion@rmig.uk | www.city-emotion.com
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